As The Sun Sets
by Kayrah
Summary: (fin.) i have never been good at this but here it goes... A story about the Moon Kingdom told from the perspective of the young palace nanny. The story is about growing up, love, and, the fall of the moon kingdom. with a twist ending. redoing chaptersetup
1. Prologue

1 I know this one is short, I'm sorry. The chapters will get longer. I am lazy and only do one standard disclaimer per story.  
  
Standard Disclaimer: Sailor Moon doesn't belong to me. But the character I make up do. They're Mine!  
  
2 Prologue  
  
The sky is gray. Even the Earth looks gray. This is understandable considering King Solar just died. There was no way the healers could have saved him, I know that; but I still feel as though I should have died. I feel a great sorrow for the queen. Also for their child who is to young now to really have known him. King Solar was a great man, so kind and generous. If you were poor and had no food to eat, he would give you his lunch, or invite you to the palace for a royal meal. He was loved by all that spoke with him. It was a shame the Negaverse murdered him. 


	2. Chapter 1- Alana

Chapter 2 The queen was carried in a basket down to the circle. I could not see if the princess was there to. I was dressed in mourning black as everyone else was. It was my favorite. It doesn't have any large underdresses. It is just straight down and very long. It falls past my ankles, covering my shoes but just lightly brushing the ground. It has a simple ribbon to tie it back. Around the collar is a design of a vine. I wear my hair down, tying two braids behind my head. My sunshine-blonde hair falls to bellow my waist, I want it shorter but mother won't let me cut it. I tie the braids with black ribbons. I am considered very pretty, but I do not think I am. The queen steps out of the basket, her right hand in hand with a young child; that must be Serenity. The queen's voice ran out among the crowd, it was heard by everyone but only as a lovely whisper.  
  
"It has been three years since the death of the king," she said, "I feel this is a sufficient mourning period." I gasped, she couldn't be saying this, she has become mad!  
  
"We have to long lived in fear. The mourning period is over. We must go back to the old ways of happiness. We are going to destroy ourselves with hopelessness and sorrow. To show I mean this, the royal court shall be joining us. There shall be a meeting, and a royal celebration ball," she finished, clearly pained for declaring the period of mourning over.  
  
She is a wise queen to do this. But inviting the royal court? A ball? Isn't it a bit soon? The court is the representatives from the kingdoms of the planets in our solar system; Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Saturn, and Earth. Earth doesn't associate with us much, something about not wanting mixed marriages. Everyone stood open-mouthed at the queen, she frowned at our disrespect, and Serena giggled.  
  
"They will be coming in seven days, the ball will be in eight, I hope that is enough time to get out of this depression," the queen said, almost laughing at our faces. "I will need someone to watch Serenity and the other princesses, and the prince," she said the 'and the prince' quickly after a guard had whispered in her ear. "I will personally appoint someone this evening," the queen said, even the guards looked surprised at the word 'personally', with good reason. I knew I would apply for the job, unlike many other girls I know I like difficult work, and watching 10 screaming 5 year olds is hard. But what would I wear? 


	3. Chapter 2- Queen Serenity

Chapter 2  
  
The queen was carried in a basket down to the circle. I could not see if the princess was there to. I was dressed in mourning black as everyone else was. It was my favorite. It doesn't have any large underdresses. It is just straight down and very long. It falls past my ankles, covering my shoes but just lightly brushing the ground. It has a simple ribbon to tie it back. Around the collar is a design of a vine. I wear my hair down, tying two braids behind my head. My sunshine-blonde hair falls to bellow my waist, I want it shorter but mother won't let me cut it. I tie the braids with black ribbons. I am considered very pretty, but I do not think I am. The queen steps out of the basket, her right hand in hand with a young child; that must be Serenity. The queen's voice ran out among the crowd, it was heard by everyone but only as a lovely whisper. "It has been three years since the death of the king," she said, "I feel this is a sufficient mourning period." I gasped, she couldn't be saying this, she has become mad! "We have to long lived in fear. The mourning period is over. We must go back to the old ways of happiness. We are going to destroy ourselves with hopelessness and sorrow. To show I mean this, the royal court shall be joining us. There shall be a meeting, and a royal celebration ball," she finished, clearly pained for declaring the period of mourning over. She is a wise queen to do this. But inviting the royal court? A ball? Isn't it a bit soon? The court is the representatives from the kingdoms of the planets in our solar system; Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Saturn, and Earth. Earth doesn't associate with us much, something about not wanting mixed marriages. Everyone stood open-mouthed at the queen, she frowned at our disrespect, and Serena giggled. "They will be coming in seven days, the ball will be in eight, I hope that is enough time to get out of this depression," the queen said, almost laughing at our faces. "I will need someone to watch Serenity and the other princesses, and the prince," she said the 'and the prince' quickly after a guard had whispered in her ear. "I will personally appoint someone this evening," the queen said, even the guards looked surprised at the word 'personally', with good reason. I knew I would apply for the job, unlike many other girls I know I like difficult work, and watching 10 screaming 5 year olds is hard. But what would I wear? 


	4. Chapter 3- Meeting the Queen

Chapter 3 There are about 50 girls waiting in front of the palace. This is more than I thought! I notice some of the girls I know. Seralana, that wench, I know her she hates kids. Tina, she refuses to even lift a finger. The others I know are like that and worse. I know that I am the most qualified. I wear a pale blue dress. It falls to the ground of course. It is a little more formal than the other one I was wearing, but not to fancy. I am number 27. I hear my number, see the other girl come out, smooth my skirt, and walk in behind the guard. I notice that he is very young and handsome. Before I get a good look at him I arrive to where the queen is, I notice that it is in the play area, so this is more of a test. I walk in and shake hands with the queen. She waved her hand palm up on top of a table signaling to have tea with her. She smiles as I bow politely and sit down.  
  
"Ah, you are a Winkarski," she says, noticing my knots, "what is your name?"  
  
"My name is Alana," I reply politely back to her.  
  
I feel a tug at my dress; I look to see the princess' wide eyes looking at me. I smile at her and she smiles back. "I like you," she says, "do you wanna play?" she asks me, holding up a doll for me.  
  
"Only if your mother would allow me to," I say, glancing over to the queen. I just realized that that was the test, to see if I would play with Serenity.  
  
Her mother thinks for a moment, then smiles and says, "go on, Serenity doesn't play with others much." I give the queen a 'thank you' look and turn to Serenity who is now looking very happy.  
  
"So, what do you want to play?" I ask her.  
  
"Tea party with dollies," she says, she looks like she expects a 'no' from me.  
  
"That seems like a great game," I tell her, Serenity beams, the queen looks over at us approvingly. Serenity pulls me over to a corner and we begin to play 'tea party' with 'Mr. Johns' and 'Mrs. Johns', two of her dollies. Before long someone laid a hand on my shoulder, it was the queen.  
  
"It is time for Serenity to go to bed," she said. Serenity groaned, complaining about never having people to play with as she walked out of the room; I laughed to myself.  
  
"Alana," says the queen, I look at her, "Serenity enjoyed your company. You are great with kids. How would you like to be the royal nanny?" she asked me.  
  
"Nothing would make me happier," I said with a smile on my face.  
  
"You would have a room in the palace to be able to be with Serenity all the time," she told me, thinking I might be discouraged.  
  
"That would be great, I agree that it would be necessary for me to be at Serenity's disposal all the time," I say. The queen looked again at me approvingly, "I will have your items moved into your new room tomorrow, you must go home to your family now," she said, leaving the room, before she exited she once again turned to me, "a guard will escort you there and back," than she left.  
  
I went home and found everyone waiting for me by the table. "Ow' di' go (how did it go)," asked Becky, my 3-year-old sister; she is considered very smart.  
  
I took a deep breath and said, "I am now the queen's royal nanny, I will be moving into the palace tomorrow morning," I let out the rest of my breath out quickly. Everyone smiled and came up hugging me, I was very confused.  
  
"That is a wonderful honor honey," said my mom, "cook," she shouted to the kitchen. Out of the two doors came our cook carrying a medium-size blue cake, I gasped.  
  
Mom smiled and said, "we knew you would get it so we made you a cake," she said, "we talked to a guard about being the nanny. We will be able to see you any time we want, half of your salary will go to us, the rest will be for you to spend, you will get about 1000 Seri (cee rhi) a week," she said. I stared at her in surprise, 1000 Seri is a lot of money (about 3000 do1lars now), and I would be getting half of it! I was liking my job even more, having fun and getting 1000 Seri at the same time. We had dinner and cake and then I went up to my room to pack. The next morning as I walked into the palace I thought 'and so begins my life in the palace. 


	5. Chapter 4- The Arrival

People keep asking when my chapters get longer *grins evily. Just wait till later in the story when they get longer, sory bout the short chapters.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
The time until the arrival of the court passed like a breeze with Serenity. We played as much as she wanted to, which was a lot. One day the same guard who had escorted me into the palace the first time came into the room. "Alana the queen wants to see you and Serenity," he said I almost fell over backwards, he was so cute! He was about 16 years old and was very strong. "Come Serenity," I said, "your mother wishes to see you." The guard smiled at me and we walked out of the room to the throne room. "Come in," said the queen, "Ah, Alana, and the princess," she said. "I wanted to tell you the royal court will start arriving tomorrow, both of you will need to be present during their arrivals, and dress appropriately," she said, mostly to me, I noticed I was wearing a very informal play dress, I had the best outfits for us. "Of course your majesty," I said to her. "I neglected to tell you that the other kingdoms will be coming as well," the queen said, a sly look on her face, only my manners kept my mouth closed. All the kingdoms! That is like 12/13 other children! Hopefully they will all be friends and keep each other occupied.  
  
The next morning I dressed Serenity in her traditional princess gown, luckily all the kingdoms will be arriving at the same time. I dressed in a blue ball gown. It was appropriate for my 13 years of age. It is low cut, and the sleeves start in the middle of my shoulders. The hems are gold, as is the waist, which is triangular; the tip of the triangle falls below my waist. I crimped my hair to make it wavy, tying small braids throughout my hair. I let my hair fall, except for the front, which is put back with two barrettes, blue ribbons coming down from each one. "Wow, your pretty," said Serenity. "Thank you Serenity," I say back. "Call me Serena, I like that better," she says. "All right, if that is your wish," I say, I hear a bell. "Come Serena they will be here in five minutes," I say quickly to her, her hair flying behind her as we run to the meeting room, her hair is in its usual style, little ordangos on top of her head, it is so cute. As we go into the meeting room the queen looks at us and conceals a laugh. "You both look beautiful," she says approvingly to us. I notice I had forgotten my knots but then remember her telling me not to wear then in the palace especially with company, I sigh with relief. The first to arrive is Mercury; They dress in a pale blue. "Welcome Mercury," says the queen, "I hope that you like it here, your daughter will be staying with the royal nanny," I smile and bow to them. "Take care of my princess, you here," said the king gruffly to me. "I assure you," I say, "the stay will be very comfortable and fun for your daughter, I will personally be making that true," I finish saying that and smile reassuringly, the king nods, and leaves the room, the princess goes with them. Serena looked sad, "it's traditional for only the royal family to meet guests, you'll play with her later," I told her understanding why she looked sad. "Oh," she whispered back, the queen gave us a 'be quiet people are coming' look. The rest of the greeting time passed without incident. The orders after Mercury was this, Mars, Jupiter, Venus (that was almost an incident), Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Saturn, Earth, Okira and Milara, then all the rest came at the same time. The 'almost incident' with Venus was, well, the princess of Venus came into the room and I almost fainted. The similarities between them are, well, numerous! They are almost identical! If she and Serena are anything alike in spirit, it's going to be a long two weeks. The princess of Venus looked at and smiled evilly. I had no clue she could read auras, or minds for that mater! After they left the queen turned to me and said, "yes she can, it was something I forgot to tell you." "Is it both?" I asked her. She shook her head, "only auras, right now but she could become more powerful, there are ways to make sure she can't read it, you could be taught," she told me. "I only wish to be taught after she pries a little to deep, if ever," I tell her. She nods her head, "that is understandable," she said, Serena, having no clue what we were talking about, looked at us like we were nuts. 


	6. Chapter 5- The First Visit

Chapter 5  
  
The next morning I was awakened by a bounce on my bed. I groan, turn over and come face-to-face with, Princess Mars! "Wakey wakey eggs and baky," she says smiling at me. I hear several giggles from other parts of the room. "Are all of you ganging up on me?" I ask sleepily. "Yup!" she says cheerfully. I give her an evil look then get an idea. "I'm guessing you all want to play," I say innocently. "Yup," says the princess. "Do you know what my favorite game is?" I ask, still innocent. "What?" she asks, not suspecting. "Tickle Monster!" I say, grabbing her by the stomach, butting her on the bed and tickling her. The princess giggled ferociously, and the next thing I know I'm getting attacked by a dozen or so little kids. The room becomes a bustle of laughter and screams, and before I know it guards are running into the room trying to save us. "What is going on here?!" the handsome one yells. "Playing," says Serena innocently, "there is nothing the mater here, you all may go," she said expertly, they all left abruptly. "All right," time to dress and to eat breakfast," I say to the girls, who grumble as they retreat back to their rooms. We all sat down to eat the nice warm healthy breakfast made for us by the cooks. Ok, I lied, it wasn't healthy, it consisted of bacon, waffles, sausage, pancakes, and syrup. Suddenly, there was a loud crash, then the ground began to shake. "Oh my," I think to myself as the mirror tips over. "Is it an earthquake?" asked Serena, her eyes filled with fear. I shook my head, "you kind of have to be on Earth to have an earthquake," I say, the prince shot me an evil look. "We're being attacked!" I heard from outside. My eyes filled with fear, 'the Negaverse!' I think to myself. "Come with me," I tell the children, they all nod, there is a knock at the door, it is the guard. "You all must hide," he says. "I am taking them to a safe place," I tell him, he nods. "Be careful," he says, closing the door. I usher the children through the hidden door in Serena's closet. "I didn't know about this," complained Serena. "That's because it is used only in emergencies," I said, "not for play, I don't want to find any of you playing in here," I say sternly, sitting down on one of the benches in the hidden room. "Who would want to," said Mars, wiping off a spider web. "While we have this time," I say, "Why don't we introduce ourselves." "I am Rei, princess of Mars." "I am Lita, princess of Jupiter." "I am Mina, princess of Venus." "I am Ami, princess of Mercury." "I am Haruka, princess of Uranus." "I am Michiru, princess of Neptune." "I am Setsuna, princess of Pluto." And so on and so on, until it was my turn. "I am Alana, your nanny and hopefully friend." Then I heard a whistle, signaling that it was safe to come out. I led them out of the hidden room into Serena's room. As soon as I had replaced the door, the guard had come in. "The queen wishes to see all of you," he said, smiling at me, I smiled back. We all followed the guard into the throne room. The queen was there waiting for us, as were the parents of the princesses. "I have decided, along with the other parents that it would be safest for each of you to have your own guard," she began, the children stood there amazed, I only nodded in agreement. "The guard will be with you at all hours, sleeping outside your room while another guards you door. He will follow you everywhere, standing outside any facility or private room unless told to do otherwise," in the childrens' little faces I could see plans of eluding the guards forming. "Alana," I stood straight, the queen was now talking to me, "you to will have a guard," it was my turn to stare. I saw laughter in the queen's features, "as the royal nanny you are also in danger, and anyone in danger is to be protected," she said sternly, her tone calling for no arguments. "I believe you have met him Alana, your guard is Aerik," the cute guard waved to me, I swear that the queen is trying to hook us up. "There is to be no more discussion on this mater," said the queen, "you are all dismissed." When we got back to the princess' room the children started looking at me weird. "Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked them. "Why do you get the good looking one?" asked Rei. "I have no clue, now eat your lunch," I said harshly, 'why did get the good looking one?' I thought to myself.  
  
The next morning I sit down to breakfast to be greeted with, "so, what are we gonna do today?" asked Kayrah. "Oh, look, stupid caca-face can speak," said Darien, 'uh oh' I thought. "What did you just call me?" asked Kayrah threateningly. "What you are, a stupid caca-face, duh," said Darien. "That's it, weenie-boy," Kayrah spat as she lunged for him. I grabbed her before she could do any bodily harm, the princesses were cheering and placing bets, Darien was coaxing Kayrah on. "Let me go," spat Kayrah, "or I'll tell my dad," he scared me. "As you wish," I say letting her go. She lunged at Darien, knocking him over. Kayrah and Darien started to fight. I snuck over to the door, opening it. "Oh guards," I said sing-songingly, "Kayrah and Darien are in trouble," I finished. Two guards rushed into the room, I stood, arms crossed, by the door. The guards pulled the two apart, holding them tightly. The guards looked at me questionably, "take them to the conference room, tell someone to get the queen and their parents, I wish to meet with them," I said, they obeyed me.  
  
Twenty minutes later, everyone was gathered in the conference room. "I have been taught," I began, "that when two or more children fight then the parents should be called to pass punishment." The two children looked at me with disgust, the parents nodded. "What do you suggest?" they asked me. "I suggest that they spend a few hours together to work things out," I reply. "That will do, Kayrah and Darien, you will play nicely for three hours, starting in ten minutes," the queen says, the children sit there, their mouths wide open. "It is not polite to have your mouths open like that, please close them," I say to them, they shout their mouths. "May I be excused?" I ask the queen, she nods and I leave.  
  
The rest of the meeting passed without incident.  
  
On the day everyone was to leave, everyone met in the Grand Ballroom. I stood there looking nice as everyone said his or her good byes. I felt someone hugging me; I looked down to see the children. "We're going to miss you," wails Rei, I kneel down and hug her. "I will miss you to," I say, "I will miss all of you." We all start to hug. Someone cleared their throat behind me; it was the King of Mars. He reaches out his hand, I take it, and we shake hands. "Thank you for taking care of my daughter," he says, I am surprised that he is soft, he usually is so gruff. "It was a pleasure," I say back. All of the other kings and queens thank me. After all of them are gone, I have to console Serena. "What's wrong Serena?" I ask. "I'll never see them again," she says, blowing her nose on a tissue. "Of course you will Serena," I say, she stares at me like I am weird. "It will be awhile but you will see them. Besides, there is always mail," I tell her, her face brightens and she smiles. She hops out of the room. "You did well," says a voice behind me, it is the queen. "Thank you your majesty," I say. "They had a great time with you," she says. "I had a great time with them," I say, the queen laughs. "You are a good person Alana," she says, "we need good people right now," she walked out of the room. I wonder what she means by that, I shrug and walk out of the room, I almost ran into the guard. "Oh, I'm sorry," I say. "It's all right," he says smiling. "We were never formally introduced," I say, reaching out my hand, "I'm Alana." He takes my hand and instead of shaking it he kisses it, "and I am Aerik," he says; we smile at each other. "I must be going to bed," I say. "I will be right behind you," he says, I stare at him, he chuckles. "I am your guard, remember?" "Oh, yes," I forgot about that," I say, I go to bed. Serena was twelve when her friends were to come again. 


	7. Chapter 6- The Ball

Chapter 6  
  
"What am I going to wear?!" shrieks Serena, throwing clothes all around the room. I dodge a shoe as I come into the room. "Whoa girl, hold your horses, this is not supposed to turn into Earthquake Serena," I say, laughingly. Serena turns around, she is very agitated, "what am I going to wear? There is nothing here!" she says. I pick up some skirts, and place them on her bed. "Serena," I say as I sigh. "Serena, you have 100 times more clothes than I did at your age," I say, "there has to be something here." Serena just gives me a look and goes back to what she was doing, I roll my eyes. I pick up a pale blue dress, "how about this one?" I ask, Serena turned around. "That's perfect!" she exclaims, grabbing the dress from me, "now get out of here while I change." I turn around and start to leave the room. "When did my little girl grow up?" I ask myself. I left the room, and run into Aerik. "You have to stop doing that," I say to him, he ignored me. "Did Hurricane Serena just hit?" he asked me. "Oh yeah," I say, we both start to laugh. "Are you going to the ball Aerik?" I ask him. "Yes I am, the queen gave most of us guards leave for the night," he says, and I sigh. "One thing I have never known is your birthday," he tells me. "My birthday!" I say, "why would you want to know that?" "Every one deserves to every one else's birthday," he says. "That is true," I say back. "So, when is it?" he asks me. "Day after tomorrow," I say. "July 4?" he asks. "Yup," I say. "Wow, that's soon," he says. "I know," I say. "How old are you going to be?" he asks me. "23," I say back. "That's great," he says. "And when is your birthday?" I ask him. "In three months and five days, uh, November 6," he says. "How old will you be?" I ask him. "27," he says. "You're not much older than me," I say. "Are you saying that I look old?!" he says, he pretends to be hurt. I started to laugh, he smiled. Suddenly the door opened, there was Serena, she was just staring at us. "Do you need something Serena?" I ask her. "Yes," said Serena, I go into her room. "Can you button this?" she asks me. "Sure," I say, I begin to button up the dress. When I finish she spins around. "How do I look?" she asks me. "Gorgeous," I tell her, "absolutely gorgeous." "What are you going to wear?" she asks me, "it has to be nice in order to impress that guard." I stare at her, "what are you talking about?" I ask her. She looks at me like I am dumb. "Alana, you to were so, like, flirting out there," she said. "We were not," I said. "Right," said Serena, turning to her mirror, I went to my room.  
  
To the ball I wore a lavender-colored dress, and tied my hair into a braid, little flowers were woven into it. My hair was not as long as it had been when I was thirteen. If I had hung my hair down it would come down just bellow my shoulders; it looks much better now. I meet Serena right outside the Grand Ballroom, as is traditional. I do my usual nanny thing. I put her hair back into place, check her makeup, etc. Then the trumpet sounds, signaling us to enter. We both smile as we step out onto the stage. The queen makes her speech, welcoming the families of: Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Earth, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Saturn. Finally she gives the signal for everyone to dance. "Go ahead Alana and socialize, you don't do that much anymore," the queen told me, I gave her a grateful glance and went out onto the dance floor. "May I have this dance?" a man asks me, he looks very familiar; he is also hot, so I accept. We dance three dances before I ask, "and who is the man I am dancing with?" "It is I Alana, Aerik," he says, a humored look on his face. "Aerik," I gasp, "you look, different, nice, but different," I say. "You know me only in my armor," he says, "but thank you," "You are quite welcome," I say. We keep dancing, out of the corner of my eye I think I see the queen watching us and smiling, but when I look she is not there. "Aerik," I say, we stop dancing. "Yes?" he asks me. "I am hot, may we go outside for a minute?" I ask him. "Yes, I could use a walk to," he says, he leads my outside towards the gardens. Even at night they are beautiful. "I like to be outside," I say. "Me to," said Aerik, neither of us noticed 10 pairs of eyes staring at us through the bushes. We walked through the gardens, talking about many things. We came to a fountain at the end of the trail. "May we sit?" I ask. "Of course Alana," said Aerik. "They're so beautiful," I say, staring at the sky. "What?" asks Aerik. "The stars," I say, pointing towards the sky. "Yes, I agree with you," said Aerik, "I also think your eyes are beautiful," he said. We smile at each other, and then he kisses me, it is a nice, sweet kiss. Our kiss is interrupted by little giggling bushes. We turn toward the bushes and ten little princesses and princes fall out. "What are you all doing here?" I ask them, "it could be dangerous." "Then why are you two here?" asks Rei, who folds her arms and puts on a puckered face. All of us start to laugh, "that is a good question," I say. "Why don't we all go inside," says Aerik, "if we stay here people will start to miss us." I nod in agreement. I look at my watch and notice how late it is, "oh my goodness," I exclaim, "it's past all of your bedtimes, we must go in at once. There is a loud groan from the children; Aerik and I smile at each other. We quickly usher the kids inside. After I put the kids to sleep, I got ready for bed; Aerik stood bye the door like he does when he guards me. "Aerik, the queen gave you the night off, go to your own bed," I tell him, he shakes his head. "Until you are in bed I cannot leave you," he says. I give him a peck on the cheek, "go to bed," I order. "Fine," he says, he walks down to wherever his room is. I roll my eyes and go to bed.  
  
The next morning I wake up and realize that I am late for breakfast! I rush to get my clothes on and my hair done up in a ponytail. I throw open the door to my room and see, Aerik. His hand is raised like he is about to knock on my door. "Sleep in your nannyness?" he asks me. "Oh shut up," I say, "come on, we're late." "Correction," he says, "you're late," I glare at him and he backs off. I stop just in front of the doors leading into the dining hall to straighten out my dress, and then I rush inside. Luckily, breakfast hadn't been served so no one noticed my entrance, except for Serena who winked at me. "Alana!" someone said to me as breakfast was served. "Yes," I said, turning my head to see who was speaking to me. It was the Queen of Venus (some say she is actually the goddess of Venus herself. "Alana you sure have grown, not only in age, but in beauty!" she says. "Why thank you your majesty, and may I say that you look more lovely yourself," I say pleasantly back. She does look more beautiful, and younger! The last time I saw her she was pale and sickly, but now she is tall, elegant, and looking extremely well. "Why thank you dear," she says back, beaming at me; I can tell that she really likes me now. "Alana, I didn't see you at the ball last night, except, well, for the ceremony," said the King of Mars. I blushed, why oh why was everyone paying attention to me? "I, was, talking with someone out in the gardens, and being spied on by curious eyes," as I said this I glared at the children who smiled innocently, you could almost see the little halos. "Oh," said all the adults at once, grinning at one-another. I know that some thing is going on but I don't know what; this is a conspiracy! "Didn't you dance at all?" asked the Queen of Neptune, her blue eyes glittering. "Yes, I did, about six or seven dances, I think," I say. "You think?" asked the Queen of Neptune. "I was kind of busy talking with my partner to notice," I say, that is only half true, the other half of the time I was staring into his eyes. "How old are you Alana?" asked the Queen of Mercury. "22," I say. "So that would make you about 14 or 15 when we came the last time?" she asked. "If you were counting by years, yes, but by months and days, no, you left about a month or so before my birthday," I say back, politely, as not to offend her. "Yes, yes, I could see how one would make a mistake like that," she says, I am very surprised to hear her say that. The conversation grows dead after that. I finally finish my breakfast. I set my napkin on my plate, to indicate that I am no longer hungry. A maid comes over and takes my plate; I sit quietly. Soon everyone else finishes his or her breakfast. Then we are all dismissed to our rooms. Aerik follows close behind. I reach my door and smile at Aerik. His face turns pale and scared, I wonder why that is. "Alana! Watch out!" he screams, running towards me, I am very confused, then I hear a window break. Before I can react, Aerik leaps on top of me, dragging me to the ground. Suddenly I hear a 'whooshing' sound and a 'crack' from behind me. Suddenly I hear the sound of men screaming and running. I am in shock, but I notice that my head hurts and that I am kind of dizzy. Aerik turns me over so that I am face-up, but still lying on the ground. He is kneeling beside me and is breathing hard. "Alana are you ok?" he asks me, "oh no! You cut your head." "I am fine," I say, "I think." "Do you think you broke anything?" he asks me. "I think the biggest injury is shock," I say, he chuckles. "You're definitely fine," he says, with a tone of relief. A guard comes over and pats him on the back, "good job," he says, then he walks off. "What happened?" I ask Aerik. "Someone tried to kill you that's what," he says back. I smile up at him, "thank you for saving my life," I say. "It's my job," he says back, shrugging, I slap him playfully on the shoulder. "What is going on here?!" shouts a voice, I recognize it as the queen's. "Are any of the children hurt?" asks someone else with a gruff voice, I think it's the King of Mars. "No your majesties," says a guard, "luckily no one was badly hurt, and none of the royal family was hurt either." "I heard that someone got hurt," said a voice, it sounded like the Queen of Mercury. I have got to learn their names. "Someone was hurt," says the guard, "but not to bad, she will survive. She probably would have died if it weren't for a guard standing post here," finished the soldier. "I want to know what happened and who got hurt, I would also like to see the injured," said the queen in her don't- mess-with-me voice. "I am right here," I say, I am becoming more nauseous and my headache is getting worse. The queen rushes over and gasped, surprised that it was I who got hurt. "I am fine," I tell her, "all I need is a hand so I can stand up." Everyone looks at each other and says, "she's fine." "I keep saying that," I say, "now can someone please help me up," I finish. Aerik thrusts out his hand and picks me up. I stand on my own, "see I am fine, all I need to do is clean up these cuts and I'll be good as knew," I say. Then the nausea starts to overwhelm me; I just stand where I am. "Ok, apparently not so fine," I say. The nausea takes me over and I faint into Aerik's waiting arms.  
  
I wake up to find a wet cloth being dabbed on my forehead, not anywhere near my cut. My head still hurts, I groan to tell the person that I am awake. "Oh, hello, welcome back to the land of the living," says the nurse, I recognize her as Nurse Sara, the best doctor on the moon, besides the King of Mercury of course; I took Serena to her when Serena got the chicken pocks. "What day is it?" I ask her, my voice is actually very soft. "It's July 3rd, it's about two in the afternoon," she says. "Is that why I'm so hungry?" I ask her, she laughed. "Yes, that could be why," she says, "do you want to know what has happened since you fainted?" she asks me, I try to shake my head yes but the pain is so great it brings tears into my eyes. "Don't move your head," says the nurse, 'to late' I think to myself, "you have a pretty bad concussion so moving your head will make your headache worse and cause you to pass out again," she says. "Oh," is all I can say. "Let me tell you what has happened," says the nurse, "they caught the guy who tried to kill you. He was working for the Negaverse. He going after you because the Negaverse could easily replace you with a clone (I winced at this). The man actually killed himself in his cell. The man who saved you is now very popular, and is waiting outside in the waiting room for any news at every chance he gets (I tried to smile but she stuck a thermometer in my mouth). Your relatives have been alerted and are in the waiting room going ballistic right now. The royal children want you to get better soon so that you can play (we both started to laugh at this). Ah, you have a perfectly normal temperature, all you need is some rest right now, I am going to give you some medicine to help you sleep, and sleep yourself out you hear," she said. The nurse gave me a shot with some medicine in it; I became drowsy right away. The last words I heard were, "she's going to be fine." I drifted into a deep and dreamless sleep.  
  
I woke up at about 8 o'clock in the morning. My headache was gone and so was my nausea. I sat up, I felt fine. I walked out of the hospital bedroom door and came face-to-face with Nurse Sara. "I see that you are feeling better," she says. "Yes, much," I say back, "my head doesn't hurt and I don't feel sick at all." The nurse nodes her head approvingly. "Let me just check your bandages, and give you some advice, in other words, orders," she says. She leads me into a room full of bandages every shape and color. "Cool, isn't it," she says. She tells me to sit down, then she changed my bandages. "Now for my lecture," she says, "concussions last awhile so no physical activity is allowed for a week. Don't bang your head on anything. If you feel at all nauseated or have a bad headache drop what you're doing and come straight to me, even if it the middle of a royal ball," I nod my head in agreement. "Great, now you may leave, and go to the dining hall for breakfast." My stomach churns and I realize that I haven't eaten in 24 hours, I also realize that it is my birthday. "Go," says the nurse, ushering me out, "you're guard is waiting for you in the waiting room," before I can do anything she spins around and disappears. "Aerik," I say cautiously as I walk into the waiting room, he spots me and comes over to me. I smile at him, "now I really am ok," I say. He just grins and kisses me, I start to kiss him back when I realize that breakfast starts in five minutes and I can't run. He leads me to the dining hall and helps me get inside, even though I can do it by myself I let him. The hall grows quiet as I enter. I smile at all the kings and queens and take my place at the table. "How are you feeling Alana?" asks the queen politely. "Very hungry," is my reply, and everyone starts to laugh. The food is served and every one stops talking for awhile. "Alana," says the queen, I stare at her, still chewing my half-eaten croissant. "Because of the attack yesterday you will now have two guards, and a room away from any windows. Aerik, and your new guard Bailey will show you there after breakfast. But only after you have eaten," she said, all the royals and the royal children were agreeing. "I will be happy to oblige," I say, and this is the truth, "but may I ask you something." "Yes, you may," says the queen. "I am unable to do any physical activity for a week, how will I move my possessions?" I ask. The queen smiled, "it has already been done. Your family and your guards did so last night," she said. "I believe I will be unable to go into town for new stuff, yes?" I say/ask the queen. She nods, "yes, I believe that will have to be the case. If you need anything send either one of your guards down or a maid," she said, agreeing with me. The conversation ceased for the rest of breakfast.  
  
When Aerik and Bailey took me to my room, Bailey was behind me and Aerik was on my right; I felt like a prisoner! "Aerik, is this really necessary?" I ask. "Yes, the entire palace fears for your safety," he says. "Well that is nice," I say back, Aerik quiets me. "Oh, I forgot to mention," says Aerik, "that your sister is now a cook in the palace and your mother is an assistant healer," he looked very pleased with himself. "What?!" I say, "please tell me I will not have my own family as a watchdog." "I could not say either way, I do not know. Last night I got the greatest thanks from your parents. I think your father has taken I liking to me. He told me to 'take care of her well son, take care of her well'," he says, I stare at him. "Really, when I was little any boy who would even look at me would hear it from him," I say. "He didn't do that, he actually had tears in his eyes," he said, but before I could respond we had reached my room. I noticed that the room was bigger than the other one, and even more grand. I made a note to thank the queen at lunch. "Well, go in," said Aerik. I opened the door and saw people! They all jumped at me and said 'Happy Birthday'. Aerik grabbed my arms and said, "happy birthday Alana, come on, go inside." I walked inside and saw that on my bed were presents, a lot of them. "When did you guys plan this?" I asked. "We didn't," said Serena, "someone neglected to tell us that today was her birthday." "Then who told you?" I asked. "Aerik and your family," said the queen, "last night while we were in the waiting room," I shot Aerik an accusing look and he just shrugged. "Open your presents Alana, open your presents," yelled the kids in unison, they were jumping on the floor because the bed was covered. "All right, all right," I said laughingly, bringing a chair up close to my bed and sitting on it. "Now which one first?" I said curiously. "Me, me, me," is all I heard from the kids, all the adults are smiling. "How about this one," I say, taking the present from Rei, her face lights up. I open up the box and just stare at what's inside. It's a beautiful red dress with matching hair ribbons. I lift it carefully from the box, I notice that it is as smooth as silk. "Thank you Rei, I say softly, it's beautiful," I say, carefully putting down the dress so that I don't rip it, Rei beams again. One of the adults puts the dress on a hanger and into the closet, it is Aerik, he is standing right behind me; I give him a thankful smile. Next I open the gift from Jupiter; it is another dress, just as pretty as the other one, but in green. "Thank you Lita," I say, handing the dress to Aerik. Earth, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto all get me dresses, they are all beautiful. I take Mercury's present and open it up; it is a bunch of books, including one of my favorites. "Thank you Ami," I say, "how did you know that I like to read?" I ask. "By all the time you spend in the library," she says, pleased with herself. When I opened Venus' present I gasped. It was a set of hair and nail accessories like nail polish, a brush, hair ties, etc. The brush and the mirror were set with stones and engraved in gold was the name Alana. "It's gorgeous Mina, thank you," Mina beamed. I finally opened Serena's present, inside was a box, engraved with little leaves and flowers, it also said Alana; there was a little key to go with it. "Open it," said the queen, I did as I was told. Inside was some jewelry, it was beautiful. "Thank you, all of you," I said. "Now for the presents from your family," said the queen. They were all dresses and accessories. After I finished unwrapping my presents I said, "now I have a problem." "And what is that?" asked the queen. "Which one am I going to wear first?" I said laughingly, everyone let out a sigh of relief and started laughing to. After everyone left Aerik turned to me, "you have one more present Alana," he said, taking a little package out of his clothes. "I am afraid it isn't as eloquent as any of your other presents," he said; I opened it, it was a necklace. It had one charm on it, a little music note. I held it up to the light and it sparkled. "It's beautiful," I said, putting it around my neck. He smiled and kissed me again. "Excuse me," said someone, it was Bailey, "but we have a job to do," he said, gesturing to Aerik. Aerik gave me one more peck on the cheek and left the room. The two men started talking softly, I listened hard. "Do you like her?" asked someone; it was Bailey. "Yes, I do, I like her a lot," said Aerik. "Do you think that will be a problem, because I can tell that she likes you to," asked Bailey. "No," said Aerik, "I may like her but I won't let it interfere with my work." "I think it already has," said Bailey; the talking ceased. I smiled and happily went back to cleaning my room.  
  
The week passed slowly. The kids were playing together and all I could do is sit and be bored. Every once and a while they would sit with me. But sitting has its advantages. I noticed a little something between Serena and Darien. I know this could be a problem, but it is so funny to see them flirting with each other, I doubt they even know what they are doing. So far there has been no more attacks or attempted murders. "Alana!" said Serena. "Yes," I said. "We all want to talk now," she said. "Since when do you need my permission to do that?" I asked. All of them thought. "It's girl talk time!" said Rei, "Darien go away," she said. Darien left to be with Bailey and Aerik very quickly. Darien likes them, they are teaching him how to fight and defend himself. He is probably doing so because of Lita and Haruka. They are like little boys. All the kids gather around me. "So, Alana, have you ever liked a boy?" asked Mina, I almost fell off the bench. So this is what they want to talk about. "Why do you want to know that?" I ask. "Oh, come on Alana, every one knows that necklace you're wearing was not in your pile of presents," said Michiru. So they had noticed my necklace. "Maybe I have and maybe I haven't," I say, knowing that this is killing them to know. I look at Aerik for some help; he only shrugs. "Come on Alana, tell us," said the girls, I decide to change the subject. "Have any of you liked a boy?" I ask, all of the girls gasp and squeal. Luckily the lunch bell rings. The girls run to the dining hall. Aerik and Bailey walk with me. "That was close," says Bailey. "What are you talking about?" I ask, then I realize and I gasp, "you know!" I say accusingly. "I kind of guessed," he says with a shrug; Aerik and I look at each other. "Why do you do it?" Bailey asked. "What?" I asked. "That look at each other thing, people are going to suspect," he said. Then we reached the dining hall. At lunch the queen announced something. "There is going to be a good bye ball for the kings and queens of the other kingdoms," she said. "Kings and queens?" I say, "don't you mean with the children?" "No," said the queen, "everyone except Darien will be here to train in becoming Serena's court." The girls started celebrating and Darien plugged his ears to keep from going deaf; I started laughing at that.  
  
The day of the ball Aerik and Bailey were helping me decide what to wear. "I want to wear one of the dresses I got for my birthday, but I don't know which," I complained. I had worn all the dresses my parents had given me, and three others. "Which ones have you worn?" Aerik asked. "The ones from Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto," I say. "Hmm," considered Aerik, "how about the one from Mars? It brings out your hair and eyes," he said, holding out the dress. "It does, doesn't it," I say, "now get out so that I can change," I push them out of the room. I put on the beautiful red dress; it fits perfectly. It falls to the floor but not to the point where I could trip on it. The dress falls over me loosely but makes all my features stand out. I wrap the ribbons around strands of hair, making it look crimped. I put on some blue eye shadow and some red lipstick. Then I walk out of the room. Bailey's mouth drops open and Aerik takes a step back. "You look beautiful," Aerik says, amazed." "Now it's your turn to get ready," I say. "Yes ma'am," Aerik and Bailey say in unison.  
  
I met the royals outside the Grand Ballroom. "You look wonderful," says the queen. "Thank you," I say back. "Is that the dress we gave you?" the King of Mars asks. "Yes, do you like it?" I ask. "Lovely," says the queen. Then the trumpets sounded. The ceremony was very boring; I could hardly wait until it was open. Many people ask me to dance, but I decline. "Will the pretty lady honor me with a dance?" asks someone behind me. I turn around to decline and see that it is Aerik. "I would be glad to oblige," I say, so we start to dance. We dance four dances and then he leads me outside, we do not notice the queen watching us. We walked through the gardens, looking at every flour. "Alana," says Aerik, I turn towards him, "what is your favorite flour?" "Roses," I say. Aerik comes over to me, takes my arm and leads me to a bench near a fountain. Close to it was a balcony, where the queen, unknown to us, was standing, watching us. "Why do you ask?" I ask him. "I just want to know," he says, brushing some hair out of my face. "What is yours?" I ask him. "Roses," he says. We smile at each other; he leans over to me. "Roses are the flowers of love Alana," he says, pulling a rose out from under his cloak, "and I love you," he says, then he kisses me. "I love you to Aerik," I say. Neither of us notice the queen, standing on the balcony, smiling. 


	8. Chapter 7- The marriage

Chapter 7  
  
"Oh, my little baby's all grown up and getting married!" exclaimed my mom, who was sobbing uncontrollably. This was the most embarrassing day in my life. "Mom, stop it, your embarrassing me," I say through gritted teeth. Serena and her friends are starting to make faces and mimic mom. It had been a year and a half since that day in the garden and Aerik and I were getting married. When we told the queen she said, 'finally, we've been trying to hook you guys up for years.' I was right, there had been a conspiracy going on. The queen made me a white gown, it was beautiful, like one a princess would wear. When I was little I swore I would wear a yellow dress, but I dashed that idea when I was 15; yellow was not my color. I wear my hair in the same why it was when we first saw each other. I wear the necklace Aerik had given me on my 23rd birthday. I almost burst out laughing at my wedding. My mother was crying hysterically. My sister and the princesses had become fast friends. They were laughing and imitating my mother. All the adults were giving them stern looks. When I looked at Aerik I could tell that he was laughing to. Between them and looking at Aerik I sadly don't remember the wedding. 


	9. Chapter 8- The Final Day

Chapter 8  
  
"Serena! Don't tell me you ran off to see Darien again!" I say, scolding Serena as she comes back from the gardens. It had been three years; Serena was now 16 and very in love with Darien of Earth. "You shouldn't be doing that, it is strictly forbidden," I say. "Honestly Alana," says Serena, "cant you do anything besides chastise Darien and I?" she asks. "Yes, but this is not right. I really should go tell your mother," I say. Serena stops dead in her tracks. "You wouldn't dare," she says threateningly. "Or would I?" I say, just as menacingly, we start to have one of our staring contests. I change instantly to a cheerful tone, "besides it's December 6th and you could catch a chill," I say, putting a shawl around her. "Once a nanny, always a nanny," mumbles Serena under her breath. "What do you mean?" I ask. "I mean that you haven't after being married," says Serena. "Oh, shut up," I say, throwing a scarf at her as we reach her room. "Good night Alana," she says, shutting the door. "Good night," I say, then I retire to my quarters.  
  
Heat. Fire. Fear. People running. People screaming. "Ahh," I scream, sitting up in bed, still waking up from the nightmare. My breathing is hard and uneven. "Alana, what's wrong?" asks Aerik, who sits up in bed. "I had a nightmare," I say, I am shaking. Aerik puts his hands on my shoulders and the shaking ceases. "It's all right now, everything is fine," he says. "Your right, let's go back to bed," I say; Aerik falls asleep immediately but just lie in bed, awake.  
  
The next morning, December 7th, everything was normal. I sent the girls to their etiquette class, and then went down to the nursery to be with Kenny, my two-and-a-half year old son. As with all children in the palace he has to spend most of his time there, but I am with him a lot. He is a happy, bouncy little boy with bright blue eyes and blonde hair. He is so cute.  
  
That evening I took him to dinner. Every one always goes gaga over him. Today was no exception. But something happened. First, the ground began to quake. Then a yellow light appeared outside the window. Only one word entered my mind, 'Negaverse'. The word is like a viper's venom on my tongue. It made me want to spit. The Negaverse had almost caused my death once before. I grabbed Kenny and held him tight. "Waz hapn mom?" he asks me. I want to say it is the Negaverse, but I am not totally sure. My confirmation comes from the fear in the queen's eyes. "We are being attacked," I tell Kenny quietly, so that I don't start a panic; Kenny does not speak any more. The attack is over in a couple of minutes; I close my eyes and breathe a sigh of relief. I want to believe that it has really ended, but I know it has only just begun.  
  
I wake up on September 10th knowing that something is wrong. Then I remember, there is going to be a ball tonight. Luckily there have been no attacks for the past month, and to celebrate, or lift the peoples spirits, the queen announced a ball. It's been almost a year since the first attack and the 'secret training'. Shortly after the first attack the queen called Serena's court to her. She spoke with them for a long time and ever after they have been in 'secret training'. I found out that the 'secret training' was the queen training them to become the legendary warriors the Sailor Scouts. Don't ask me how I found out, I just have a lot of friends. They are training to guard the kingdom, the Moon Crystal, and Serena. I notice that Aerik has already gone on patrol. Why do they let him do anything with his shoulder the way it is? Luckily I got him the night off using the excuse that it will be Kenny's first ball.  
  
That night I dress myself in a flowing blue dress. I put Kenny in a little black tuxedo with a blue tie. I carry Kenny and Aerik leads me to the Grand Ballroom. I stop at the window, something is not right, the sky has turned red. "Ow! Don't step on my tail!" says a voice from bellow; it's Artemis, with Luna trying to lift my foot up. "Kitty!" says Kenny; he is delighted to see them. "Yes, Kitty," I say to him, then I turn to Luna and Artemis, I pick up my foot. "Sorry about that," I say to Artemis who is massaging his tail. "It's all right," he says back, "you're going to be late if you don't hurry up." "Yes, we will," says Aerik, he turns to me, "the queen did say that she would have our heads if we were late." "Good day Luna, Artemis," I say as we walk off; they wave to us. Luna and Artemis are the queen's main advisors, even if they are cats. I do not know them very well. I look back to see what they thought of the sky to see that they had scurried off, I keep walking. As we walk into the Grand Ballroom I gasp. The room is full of little glass vines crawling up the walls. I each grape there is a little light, making the room lit but dim. It is so beautiful. The dance begins very joyfully with people laughing, talking, and dancing. I can't seem to find Serena or Darien anywhere. Suddenly Luna and Artemis run into the room. "We are being attacked!" they scream. I walk up to them, bend down, and ask, "what do you mean?" "We are being attacked, by the Negaverse. They have Darien and Serena," they say as they bat away Kenny's hand; everyone gasps. The soldiers run out of the room to defend us, and the girls go behind the curtain to transform. Aerik is about to go when I stop him, "don't be silly, you can't fight with your good shoulder hurt so bad. Or did you forget being stabbed be the Negaverse awhile ago? The queen put you on partial medical leave," I say, he relaxes. "You're right," he says. I notice that the queen has run from the room. "Come with me," I say to Aerik. We run out of the room, I am clutching Kenny with all of my might. I hear people screaming outside. We run into the garden and hide in the bushes. Every time Kenny starts to fuss I quiet him, this is the only way we will stay alive. We hide in the bushes all night and day. I cringe every time I hear a scream, knowing that someone else is probably dead. At about three in the afternoon everyone is still fighting. No fight has ever gone on this long. We run from the bushes into the street, I almost scream. People are strewn across the street. Some are screaming or whimpering, most are silent. Something hits me in the back and strikes me down. I can tell that the Negaverse has just attacked me, again. Aerik squeezes my hand, telling me not to move or talk. I tell Kenny the same. I lie there for hours, pretending to be dead. Everything just gets worse. I know we are doomed when the sun starts to set. I look over and see Darien lying dead in the square. Serena is sobbing over him. I see something in her hand; it is the crystal sword! She raises it and points it at her chest. "NO!" I exclaim quietly. Serena thrusts the sword into her chest and falls, dead, onto Darien's chest. Kenny hugs me and Aerik gives my hand an affectionate squeeze. "No!" yells the queen, "I can't lose her to!" The queen raises the Crescent Moon Wand into the air. "You can't use that!" yells Artemis. "You'll use up all of your power and die!" screams Luna. "No-your-majesty," I say, out of breath, standing up. Kenny, Aerik, and I stand up together. The queen looks me straight in the eye and a tear comes down out of both our eyes. "I have to," she say, her voice shaky but calm. I look in the distance, towards Pluto, and see a tiny, bright light. "Moon Crystal," shouts the queen, a darkness starts to fall over the kingdom, like the Silence Glaive was being dropped. "Power!" as she says this darkness fell over the kingdom. As the sun sets, the kingdom falls, on September 11th. 


	10. Epilogue- To Live Again

Epilogue  
  
I was washing dishes as my husband and my son came home. Papa Kenji and Sammy came through the door. "Serena and her friends will be here soon," I say. I look in the mirror and sigh, when I awoke my appearance was different and I had a daughter. It turned out she was the Princess Serenity! I realized that Aerik and Kenny were my husband and son. We decided not to tell Serena because she hadn't awakened yet. Now she has and so have her friends, well, except for a couple, and we will tell them today. "You look as beautiful as ever," says Aerik. "And you are as handsome as ever," I say, Kenny gets a sweat drop on his head. "Hey Ikuko Mama," says Serena who storms in the house with her friends. "Honey, we need to talk, with you and your friends," I say, she looks very surprised. We all go and sit down in the living room. "Honey," I say, "call us Alana, Aerik, and Kenny," I say, their mouths drop open. 


End file.
